The Oakland Raiders have a new head coach for 2015 in Jack Del Rio and with a decent amount of cap space and a top draft pick, the team may look at names like DeMarco Murray, Jeremy Maclin, Frank Gore, Ndamukong Suh, Randall Cobb and Jason Pierre-Paul on the free agent market as Reggie McKenzie tries to build a winner in California.
The Raiders announced Jack del Rio as the new head coach for 2015 and now the real work begins, as the team has not made the playoffs in years and needs to improve in every aspect of the game. According to ESPN.com, owner Mark Davis felt that Del Rio was the best candidate for the job, as he has head coaching experience from his time in Jacksonville. Former Raiders coach John Madden also sat in on the interviews with head coaches and he gave his approval to Del Rio as well. Del Rio is also from the Bay area.
The Raiders are projected to have around $50 million in cap space this year when the league calendar turns to 2015, according to Over the Cap, and that could allow them to be big spenders. The team also has a top four draft pick and could look at a number of options, including Amari Cooper, Vic Beasley or Brandon Scherff. Some free agents hitting the market that could interest the Raiders include DeMarco Murray, Jeremy Maclin, Frank Gore, Ndamukong Suh, Randall Cobb and Jason Pierre- Paul. Gore could be a backup target if Murray stays with the Cowboys.
While Murray is expected to stay with the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN.com reports that he has already rejected an offer from the team. Murray reportedly rejected a four year offer from the team and Jones has already said that the Cowboys will have to be "creative" to sign both Murray and Dez Bryant. The Raiders are a team that can challenge the Cowboys with their cap money and they desperately need a consistent rushing game after ranking last in the league last season in rush yards per game. Darren McFadden is a free agent and may not return, while Maurice Jones-Drew was a major disappointment.
The Raiders hired Jack del Rio to take over as head coach after Denis Allen was fired during the season and Tony Sparano took over as interim coach. The team won just three games this season and went 4-12 in each of the previous two years and now Mark Davis is hoping Del Rio is the man to turn it around. Del Rio did well during his run in Jacksonville and he helped turn around the Broncos defense last season. The team has some flexibility with the cap and could look at making some moves this offseason.
The Raiders did that last season with players like James Jones and Justin Tuck while bringing back Darren McFadden and while those moves didn't really work out, this crop of players is much better. The team likely will try and bring in either Maclin or Cobb, as they desperately need playmakers on offense. Amari Cooper has been mentioned as a draft target, as the team picks fourth overall and likely will go offense after picking Khalil Mack last season and DJ Hayden the previous year on defense.
